At a recent meeting in Buea called to sensitise South West farmers on the project, representatives from the region’s six divisions listened to exposes and asked interactive questions to better understand the project. It was explained that the South West will identify 10 high-yield zones within its divisions and build their capacities to improve on production, processing and marketing of agricultural, animal, fisheries and forestry products. The South West Regional Delegate of MINEPAT, Eseke Ivo Bende, explained that producers will be supported with equipment and infrastructure.
The 10 production zones earmarked for the South West will be selected based on availability of land for creation and extension, labour, agro-sylvo-pastoral equipment, input, procurement structure, energy sources, marketing network, technical processing structures, communication network and environmental impact. The stricter criterion would hinge on general information, factors of production, financial viability, and capacity follow-up of other medium-scale producers. Structures of control have been conceived to be at national, regional and local levels. The project is equally intended to enhance food security, trade balance, add value and promote employment.
The AGROPOLES project will promote medium and big scale enterprises in the rural sector of Cameroon. Retired Governor Acham Peter Cho, now a medium scale farmer himself, urged the promoters of the project to hasten up and not to keep the ideas in the drawers like previous ones.
